3-An Elemental Surprise
by Wolverana
Summary: Things are getting a little heavy....


Notes: X-men does not belong to me, blah blah blahI wish it did though. I wish I was and X-men

Nox is a character of my creation, so HANDS OFF. Ok

An Elemental Surprise: Chapter 3: The Scent of Fire

The rain was slowly abating, making less need for the canopy of protection around the three mutants and the ten thugs, who now had stopped in a straight line, staring defiantly at Nox. Nox returned their stare, her back to Wolverine and Cyclops, who stood patiently yet wary, both ready to aid the strange woman if she need it. The thugs were short, yet wide and welding wicked looking weapons of a primitive design. To Wolverine, they smelt like men too far gone in their own evil not to kill their own mothers for a buck or two. Nox spoke after several seconds of silence

"Listen," she said quietly, her head slightly inclined, " It is imperative that you not get wounded by any of their weapons, especially the one that the bigger bugger in the middle is carrying." Wolverine and Cyclops glanced at the largest of the small men and noticed his wickedly curved Falchion, wet with something that did not appear to be rain.

"A primitive weapon," Cyclops murmured, adjusting the setting on his head set.

"Yes," Nox replied, still not turning, for she was not sure when the men would attack. "But the most primitive of animals sometimes have the worst bite, yes?" Both Wolverine and Cyclops watched as Nox removed from her cloak pocket what appeared to be a lighter and a pack of cigarettes.

"I'm not sure this is the time for that," Cyclops murmured again, but received no reply. He an his companion simply watched as the tall woman put the lighter to her mouth and pull, removing the sparker from the top. Noticing that the strange men were watching her intently as well, Cyclops tried to concentrate on the woman. In a single movement, Nox emptied the contents of the lighter into her palm, the lighter fluid instantly becoming a floating mass of matter, resembling liquid in zero gravity. 

"They are afraid of fire," Nox spoke casually as she split the ball of lighter fluid into smaller balls, then again in a single move, she distributed a ball of lighter fluid directly in front of each thug by an outstretched hand which flung and controlled the movement of the liquid until it rested ten feet away. The men in turned looked down at their feet confused. 

Returning the unused pack of cigarettes to her pocket, Nox gestured to Wolverine. 

"You got a light, Shorty," she demanded, and fishing into his own coat pocket, Wolverine produced his own lighter, which was getting a little low. Handing it to Nox, he watched in amazement as she produced a flame with it, then made it grow. Immensely. Draining the lighter for all it was worth, Nox produced a fair size fireball, resting neatly between her outstretched hands. Without a thought or a sound, Nox hurled the fireball directly towards the thugs, who screeched with fear as each pool of lighter fluid in front of them flared into a blaze of flame. Now it was time to act.

"Listen here," she hissed as she turned towards Wolverine and Cyclops, shrugging hastily out of her cloak, revealing the wrinkled cloths of a professional. "You," she said pointing to Cyclops, "Pick them off as need, but try not to hit me and Shorty as we take em hand to hand. You," she turned to Wolverine, "Watch out for those weapons!" Grumbling a reply, Wolverine followed her into the now outraged mess of little demon men, swinging and hacking at the two mutants. He didn't hesitate as he watched Cyclops's rays pass very close to him and sear through the thin neck of the closest man, the man falling to the ground with a gurgling protest. He didn't falter when he saw Nox conjure a heinous Claymore out of the remaining fire from her earlier assault, and with a gutteral cry, cleave a thug with a twin-bladed bo in half with not so much as a crunch. 

"Make for the big bugger," Nox cried as she sliced the belly of the next closest assailant, his entrails making disgusting and odious picture on the pavement at her feet. "Do not hesitate to kill them, they'll kill you without so much as a look at your face," Shoving the dying man out of her way and into the blade of another thug when he failed to die fast enough, she watched as Wolverine stuck his claws through the throat of a thug with great axe, and sticking his foot to the thug's chest, shoved him off his claws, the hefting the thugs axe, hurled it at the biggest man. It missed him slightly and smashed into the skull of the thug behind him. _Five down, _she thought, _five more to go_.

"Give up, Lady," the big thug cackled in a surprisingly high pitch voice which reminded her strongly of a goblin, " We get away with your fat purse and your magic fire, you can't kill all of us."

Nox stopped dead, suspending her sword in the air. Grabbing the closest thug she could get by the head, and disarming him, she began to drain his body of water. The man screamed until his papery flesh fell off his body and his viscera floated away in dust, his skeleton crumbling to the ground before her. Still clutching the man's skull in her left hand, the man's life water floated above her right hand. 

"I think you'll be leaving a very poor man," Nox returned, hurling the water at the big thug, while tossing the skull aside, hearing it smash into many fragments on the ground. The water missed the thug as he ducked, yet hit another man behind him, and Nox clenched her fist in the air. The man suddenly silent, his tongue jutting from his face, his eye balls almost matching the distance. With a sickening crunch, the man fell to the ground a lifeless heap, the water splashing about him. 

Grabbing the sword again, Nox moved and gave Cyclops a clean shot at a heavily tattooed man who held a dagger in each hand. The man fell from a blow between the eyes, both of his eyes now gone, evaporated by the heat as well as most of his face. He was dead before he hit the ground. Glancing at Wolverine, she saw him slash the back of the knees second last thug, then rammed his head into a light pole, leaving him to bleed to death unconsciously. 

_Only one left_, Nox thought, _and he's mine! _Gesturing to Wolverine and Cyclops to back off, Nox took a step toward the thug who laughed wildly, perhaps on the brink of insanity. 

"Looks like you've made a very bad mistake, my friend," Nox said in a low voice, staring intently at the thug in front of her, who stared back just as hard. 

"Not as bad as you have made," the man replied, hefting his falchion, then dropping it to the ground, he smiled wickedly at her. "For where I come from, friends fight hand to hand. You may be big, but you are no match for me." Laughing again, he took a step forward.

"Nox" Cyclops said warily, feeling this a very bad idea, but Nox raised a hand to silence him. 

"Well listen here, you little snotspill," Nox snapped, "We're on my turf now, so why should we play by your rules?" The man simply shrugged.

"To give you a fair chance of course. You will lose though, and I will walk away with you and your friend's purses. And to make thing a little more comfortable for you" The man made no other sound as he appeared to stretch and distort in front of her, his body filling out, making him as tall as Nox herself. Nox's face never changed. Letting her claymore of fire free, she too took a step forward. A smile very close to evil crossed her face. Wolverine and Cyclops exchanged glances yet again.

"Very well," Nox replied, fingering her necklace and charm at the end of it. "Yet since this is my turf, we will play hand to hand my way!" Yanking the chain free from her neck, Nox removed the charm, which turned out to be a simple platinum ring, and slipped it onto her right index finger. The thug didn't not even have time to voice his agreement when Nox began to glow with an unearthly light. 

Suspending slightly in air, arms crossed at the chest and knees pulled up against her, Nox was hardly recognizable as a floating, intensely bright curled up woman, but that was hardly the concern of the three mutant men as the bright shape divided into four, then each flashed a separate colour: white, red, blue, and green. Unfolding, the four women became less bright, and lowering to the ground, Wolverine and Cyclops could see four Women the exact shape and form of Nox, only of a different element, and shorter. The woman as Air was a wispy white, with hair like mist, eyes like the sky and a nude body that glowed, and had no sign of any genitalia save for the two perfectly formed mounds at her chest. Fire had a body much like Air save for she looked like she was on fire. Everywhere. Her hair was a flowing flame, her eyes like pits of inferno. Earth's body was of a mixture of deep green and a rich brown. Her hair was like delicate grass flowing down her shoulders, her eyes a rich brown with green around the irises. Water was transparent, her hair like fresh foamy sea water crashing against the banks of shore. Her eyes were like pools of moon lit water on a white beach. There was no sign of Nox herself. 

"Hand to hand," all four element said at one time, their voices sounding monotonous yet mystically frightening at the same time. "You and me," All four women stepped towards the thug together, hard smiles on their otherwise expressionless faces. The man stood his ground, sweat beading on his forehead. He was now taller than any of the women, yet the four seemed to put a high risk on his life. Forcing a smile onto his face, he gestured for the women to bring it on,' and before he could blink, Air pounced from her place beside her fellow elements and knocked the man to the ground without so much as touching him. Backing up and rejoining the other women, Air ignored the man on the ground gasping for breath and struggling to his feet. Water was next up.

Taking a single step towards the thug, Water threw out an arm which flowed the rest of the distance to the man's face, forcing her fist down his throat. The man, his eyes wide in surprise, struggled against Water's hold on his lungs, his face turning a slight hue of blue.

"She's drowning him," Cyclops muttered, and Wolverine nodded. This WAS interesting. 

The man was not prepared to go down so easily, though. Forcing himself forward, he made his way in front of Water, backhanding her viciously, severing her hold on his lungs. He coughed violently, bringing up water that remained in his body. 

"This is nothing more than bitch-fighting," the man spat, raising his fists. Earth stepped forward, raising her own fists. There was no smile on her face. 

"Then you should be pleased to learn that I will fight you like a man," Earth spat back, her fists hardening into stone. The man seemed to pale at the sight. He forced out a weak laugh, then lunged at her. 

Sidestepping, Earth removed herself out of the way, yet this allowed the man to turn himself and lunge from behind. Throwing himself upon her back, he brought her down to the ground. Expecting to hear protests from the other three, he stayed there, pinning her down. When he heard no protests, he leaped off, taking Earth's fists in his hands, then in a single move, he brought them down on the pavement, smashing off several fragments of her hands, leaving jagged and sharp edges. He stood, looking down at the maimed woman at his feet. He set up his own death. 

Jumping to her feet, Earth spun wickedly, raking her broken and jagged fist across his chest, throwing him in such a way that he landed feet away on his stomach, back turned to her. Reforming her hands, Earth stepped back and allowed Fire to finish him off.

Fire, now angry looking, strode quickly over to the thug, standing over him, waiting for him to rise to his feet. He struggled, making it to his knees, his back turned to her, and seemed to hesitate. He shakily got to his feet, still not turning. Yet Fire did not have time to voice her impatience when startled shouts of warning threw off her guard, proving fatal. 

Fire's eyes stared in disbelief, for Earth had mistakenly thrown the thug back to Falchion, which now protruded evilly through her midsection. The man laughed weakly. 

"Your second mistake," the man snapped, "never take a cut-throat seriously." He didn't have time to laugh again, for Fire's inferno scream left him in oily cinders, falling to the ground. 

Wolverine and Cyclops barely had time to act when Fire suddenly flared up, and the three other women shone bright as day, and instantly were gone. Nox fell heavily to the ground, the Falchion still in her gut, the ring on her finger sliding off and rolling across the ground. Wolverine made it to her first. 

"Call Xavier, get help out here fast," Wolverine shouted at Cyclops, who was already doing that exact thing. After being sure the woman was still alive, her head resting in the crook of his arm, he bent and picked up the ring which had fallen from her finger. It felt incredibly hot, but in a flash it went as cold as death.

"They are on their way," Cyclops said as he ran up to Wolverine and the woman a short while later. "In about ten minutes." Wolverine shook his head. 

"It's too late," he muttered, almost to himself, "She is already dead."

End if Chapter three. 

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